Straight off, I have to say I haven’t even seen the goals, let alone the highlights of this game.
I’ve been up to my neck in it at a car plant shutdown, which has involved more than 12 hours a day for the last week or more; hence eating and sleeping has had to be my priority (it’s a hard life isn’t it?).
So I can only go with comments I’ve read on here and other sites, where it seems we were really quite good for the first hour, only for us to collapse when Boro equalised, which led to us not being able to keep the ball or even pass it.
Whichever way you look at it, it seems we have a massive fragility problem, where we don’t believe we can win a game once the opposition score. Which er, is exactly the same as last season, isn’t it???
It’s for this reason that I don’t think we have a chance of getting promoted as things stand, as I’ve said previously.
Perhaps though, I’m being unfair.
After all, Middlesborough are now a Premier league team and we’re deservedly Championship level.
They’re on the way up from their already advanced Championship level and have improved with some decent buys, whereas we’re about to find our real level.
Which is the part that worries me.
We’re apparently equal second favourites to be promoted, along with Norwich, with Newcastle being the absolute favourites.
It’s something that will only add to the expectation and again, I don’t think the squad is up to it, as they’re overall a load of bottlers, in my opinion.
Well, it certainly was the case last season and from the sound of it seems the case yesterday, anyway.
My hope was that whatever manager came in, he’d be able to instil a strong fighting mentality and although it is of course very early days, I’m not convinced we’ll get it under RDM.
Still, as I said, they’re Prem and we aren’t.
And us getting beaten at home to a Premier league team is only to be expected?
Hmm, I’m not in the slightest bit convinced, myself.
A team that hopes to be promoted next season should be fighting to the death, regardless of the opposition, even this early in proceedings.
I know McCormack is a goalscorer in the championship but the fact remains we are shit at getting the ball in to the box and even shitter at actually finding one of our own players so that issue needs to be resolved asap or McCormack’s confidence will be shot within a month or two. As for Gueye and Clark not bothered really hopefully RDM gets all the money plus more to spend as like others have mentioned Clark is rather embarrassingly our best defender lol. Lots of issues to solve! Again I do trust the management team. However, We surely can’t start the season with Westwood, Bacuna, Hutton, Lescott in the starting lineup…can we???
Don’t want flabby starting either
Yeah forgot gabby another waste of time. Could also put Richards in the list although he seems to show a bit more heart than the others at times.
I see this site is still full of moaners and groaners FFS. If we get McCormack from the proceeds of the Gueye and Clark moves then I will be well happy. It means we have a whole new (much needed) spine in the team whilst spending FA…..very clever move IMO. Furthermore, we still have the whole if the transfer kitty (whatever that is) for further additions…..good move RDM….at last someone has learnt from past mistakes!
We WILL be promoted, Ian Holloway IS a dickhead and Dr Tone can tweet as much as he wants…..I’m loving it!
UTV
McCormack in, Gana & Clark out
= good business. I for 1 am gonna be well chuffed if this happens!
McCormack is 30 next week it’s a lot of money for a 30 yr old imo
True – but proven goalscorers who are 21 or younger are being snapped up by any top div team in Europe. If he does the job for one season he will be worth it.
True but knowing us we will put him on a 10 year day!
McCormack is a do-it-yourself style of forward. He is quite capable of hunting for the ball, running at and beating two defenders and picking his spot. He does not need centre-forward service – so if he comes to VP he is coming to the right place not to get it!
Nearest (not so) recent player of that type at Villa was Dean Saunders. Why isn’t he in the Prem? He probably isn’t fast enough and physical enough, but he has be a contender for leading goalscorer in this division for 3 years.
moaners and groaners your can’t be talking about me. i am always optimistic well almost, i believe we will go up, if they get a striker to lead the line. at present with just gestede up front, i think we would struggle. he doesn’t fit the style of RDM wants to play. ayew is dropping to deep, he will terrorize the championship defenders. but we don’t want him picking the ball up on halfway beating 10 players. we need him in and around the box
this mccormack seems to shoot at any chance he gets, McNally like, same as ooahahaha i haven’t heard much of him, i recall him joining fulham for a massive fee from leeds. its a transfer fee we won’t get back. but if he scores the goals that wins promotion who cares. to win promotion we need goals and plenty of them. his record over the last two years speaks for itself
Ha, just said pretty much the same thing in a reply to oohah😃 Then scrolled down and read yours! Well said, goals win games simple as that
My earlier post about McCormack seems to have vanished in the blogosphere. He is a do it yourself style forward, hunting the ball and capable of running at two defenders, beating them and picking his spot. Last of that type at VP was Dean Saunders. He does not need centre forward style service, which is good because if he lands at Villa he won’t get it.
how comes teams want villa players, but only on loan, then when we want their players they add on 5 million on top of the original demand
i thought that riley had left his role. i just red somewhere hes still chief scout ??? is this true
Watched the summer’s events from a far and to be brutally honest I’m not particularly optimistic short term.
Rebuilding the pathetic shambles from last season is a huge task and I have to admit I agree with Holloway’s assessment on our chances this season (even if he is a prat, he knows this league well)
The wasters are mostly still here unsurprisingly as no club will pay their wages and nobody knows enough about Dr Xia to make a reasoned assessment of his credibility long term yet.
Looking at the squad and seeing 7-8 names from last season is not encouraging at all. These players have no confidence and for far too many no passion or interest in our club. I’m concerned Di Matteo is going to give the likes of Gabby, Richards, etc another chance and they absolutely do not deserve one. The lack of goalscorers is also worrying, though hopefully we can sign mccormack. Its a lot of money for a 30 year old, but we are desperate for a proven scorer at this level.
Overall, we need to be realistic. We are working with a core of players who won 3 games out of 38. Considering you need 20+ wins to consider even getting into the play offs, I just cant see such a dramatic turnaround even given the drop in opposition. We’ll do well to finish top half imo
Agree completely.
Give McCormack a 5 year deal with a 2 million pound release clause.
Got to find some way of being entertained cause the shower of shit our squad is they won’t be capable entertaining us.
I do think all the signings seem to have been done with a measured approach. Plus if McCormack signs that’s a new spine. Add to that players like Gardner, Bennett and Baker coming back from loans and the 11 is starting to have a different look to last season.
I know we’re all eager for the time wasters/bomb squad to be sent packing, but until RDM finds the elusive magic wand we’ll have to be patient. Even though the leagues kicks off this weekend there will still be the best part of a month to sell/sign players and a lot does seem to get over the line in those closing days/hours.
News seems to be filtering in that we are about to sign Ross McCormack after upping the offer to £14m. He is supposedly due in Brum for a medical today (weds). From what I can see of this guy he seems to know where the back of the net is, and that is a quite a large splash of cash from us, so let’s hope we are actually moving in the right direction.
£14m for a 30 yr old that could get injured and past his peak! Wtf is going on
Sky now saying 12mil bid accepted should have medical today very pleased once completed.UTV
Shame about gueye, he would have played a big part this season I think, definitely worthy prem player.
Delighted Clarke is out the door, potentially the most overrated player, totally error prone and cost us many points over the last few years (man city springs to mind to name one) shocking defender!
He will only be a bit part player for them a utility player.
McCormack – consistent proven goal scorer playing with Ayew could be a ‘game changer’ for us. Must hold onto Amavi as well. We can’t hold onto 1-0’s so have to increase the goals we score and the friendlies just reinforced that point.
Would still like to see another right back and creative mid come in.
Let’s hope this deal gets across the line quickly.
So what happens if he gets injured or suspended. We’ve no back up whatsoever and that’s what could cost us
He could of been 20 you’d still find something to have a dig at.boring
OohAh was complaining about lack of investment by Dr. T and now he’s moaning because it’s the wrong investment!
Can I point out Oohah that we have problems without him so how can buying a 20 goal a season striker make things worse?
Good point. But Dr X is only spending money from sale of other players his nett spend is crap. Having said that IV just watch Ross McCormack on u tube which I know can be misleading. But the good thing about him is he seems to be able to create goals himself which is just as well as he will get sod all service from the rest of the team. He reminds me a bit of Charlie Austin but a bit more mobile.
True
Totally agree Hitchens 60
I do think Gardner could play a big part for us this season. Surely this is his last opportunity with us? Always seems to do well on loan then never feature for us. McCormack is a good signing just need to sort the defence almost entirely! And find that magic spark to link midfield to attack.. Gary Gardner maybe??
He deserves a shot imo
On BBC just now confirmed Fulham have accepted Villa’s bid for McCormick.
A brave and quite necessary move. With a bit of a cutting edge we might actually win a few games.
Agree with H60 that, with the addition of a decent RB and another mid-fielder, we might be just about there.
Well said pat57
It’s public knowledge how shit we were (are?) and how desperate we are for new blood in the team, other clubs aren’t stupid and will overprice any targets we want (McCormack) and undercut offers for our deadwood (look at Sinclair to Celtic, its a bloody drama)…
@C&B
Actually agree that McCormick is overpriced and that other clubs have us over a barrel but that’s where we are and that’s what we’ll have to pay to get in some new blood.
Let’s face it if, by some chance, we do make it back to the Prem the money we will have spent will pale into insignificance compared to what the club will earn.
Very true PAT57
It’s just the way it is unfortunately for this window. I would guess that we’ve probably made multiple enquiries for other players and been given ridiculous fees to purchase.
Also, no finger pointing on here, as a general statement, we all need to readjust our expectations on the players will be signing this window (and potentially January) different league, different attraction, different playes. regardless of how “big” we are.
According to reports Norwich offered either £10 or £11 million so they must be over the same barrel. Fact is 20 goal a season strikers cost serious money and our good friend ‘Mr. Holloway’ rates him as the best player outside the Prem.
Not surprised we can’t shift our rubbish because they are just that and completely overpaid. The only way we moved Guzan was to give him a free transfer!
It’s a shame we can’t do that to the rest of the dross eh
I guess so Hitchens 60, all the promotion hopefuls are in the same basket it looks like. Although I still believe there’s a little extra with us.
We should pay them all off to get rid, like with Guzan, having any of them in the squad will rub off. Last years squad and everything else top to bottom was rotten from the inside out.
yes mccormack is overpriced but al least he knows where the goal is,gayle for newcastle at 10m is really overpriced,
football transfer have gone mad but thats the game now,we need quick fix to get promotion 20m spent now will be peanuts next summer if we get up
My concern is do we have the players to provide a goal scorer with the chances.
That’s what looks good with McCormack he can create chances himself something a team like us desperately needs. Plus he scores from free kicks too.
He managed to score 20 plus goals in a shit Fulham side that’s a lot worse than ours so I’m really confident he’s gonna score similar if not more for us. Add to that Ayew along side him and I think Grealish behind as a number 10 threading through the silky passes it’s a winner winner chicken dinner😃 I think it’s gardeners time to shine in the middle now to. I tell you what a few additions I think we’re there
I for 1 can’t wait till Sunday, I’m back to feeling optimistic and can’t wait till kick off
Up the villa
Clarke to Newcastle confirmed.
Absolutely delighted, I hope he starts every game for them. He’ll maybe even score an own goal for them against us and get a villa goal for once. :/
Also reading we want to hijack the Diame transfer at the last minute (totally unreliable source mind you).
Please can my fellow villan own who disliked my comments unnecessarily own up and explain why? You hurt my feelings 🙁
Very happy with Ross Mcormack coming in.. the leading scorer in the Championship for three seasons and the most chances created too..
Being linked with a last minute move to hijack the Diam deal too..
Dead in the water lionheart! I had a glimmer of hope too. He’s been pictured at st james
A positive 24 hours, Mccormack is proven at this level and exactly what we needed. 5m for Clark is also good business, much promise as a youngster but simply too error prone.
If only we could clear Lescott and Richards so easily……. I’m hoping neither will be in the matchday squad against Sheff Wed so we can send out a message that these wasters will no longer be tolerated at Villa.
3rd time lucky. McCormack has the right style. The last player we had of his style was Dean Saunders. Someone who does not need service – which is just as well since strikers who do need a particular type of service, crosses, short passes in the area or long balls over the top for example do not seem to get the service at Villa.
has anybody seen mccormack play ??? just want to know what his games is about. watching him last night on ytube clips. he looks like a finisher, somebody who shoots, before passing the buck he seems to take responsibility. but ytube been wrong before.
we miss a presence up front. gestede isn’t the solution. he could be a weapon in the championship. but i think we just don’t intend to play the style he needs.if mccormack can move around and make intelligent runs, ayew and grealish have the ability to find him. (i hope RDM doesn’t ignore murphy) he could be a nightmare for defenders last 20 minutes of games. for those that haven’t seen him he is lightening quick, but he definitely has more too offer than just speed.
clubs will start getting desperate soon, poor norwich might even av a villa voodoo doll. hopefully lesscott and gabby will take the hint and fook off with their cars and models and wot ever gabby has lol
Yes, I don’t know how far back you go with Villa but the last forward of his type was Dean Saunders. He does not need service, he hunts down the ball for himself and can run at a couple of defenders and score. It will be interest to see if he plays with Ayew as the target man or if they play as twin roamers.
Yes. The last forward of his type at Villa was Dean Saunders. He does not need service, he hunts down the ball for himself and can take two defenders on. I will be interest to see if Ayew plays as target man or if they both play as roamers
I can’t seem to reply to this, perhaps the inclusion of a certain Welsh wizard’s name as the last player of McM type triggers the vapours. Anyway he does not need to be fed a particular type of ball, he hunts it down for himself.
McCormack confirmed by Dr X on twitter…..sky will catch up eventually
UTV
Sky only care about mourinho and pep. Going to be a complete media wank fest over those two!
Will be confirmed on OS 2moro……have sky caught up yet?
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No mate who needs sky when we’ve got Dr x on twitter.
Who needs sky when every game can be streamed for free on the net😄
Langford, didn’t you disappear for last season?That’s why we got relegated, there was no “we will not be relegated” and in the end we were!! It’s been a while for myself but I’m fairly positive again, regardless of the fact it might take a couple of seasons. Good to see you back in force pal! We will be promoted!
Cheers mate…..disappeared because we had no hope under Lerner. I knew we would drop last year under that twat…..waste of energy whilst he was still here mate.
Glad your positive…..give oohah some grief 🙂
We WILL be promoted!
Follow Dr X on twitter
Hi Langford nice to see you back. Joined this blog ‘cos I loved your posts and positivity. Keep up the clarion call.
Oohah is oohah mate lol there’s no getting through, he’ll only be happy once we’re in the dr martins league, then he can only look up haha
Lol 😄😄
Giddy….lol. Dr X fucking brill after that twat Lerner. I’m loving it! Dont know if your on twitter, but if you are, follow the Doc.
UTv
I am but fuck knows how to tweet mate
Likewise Giddy but loved Dr. T’s demolition of Holloway.
Same here he don’t hold back loving it. 😀